Chasing My Dreams to the Alaskan Bush

It has been over two years since I wrote this post detailing Cody and I's desire to pack up and move our entire lives to the Alaskan Bush. Anyone who knows me knows that this has been a dream of mine ever since I took that fateful job in King Salmon, Alaska in 2010.  That summer opened my eyes to a demographic and lifestyle that I frankly did not know existed in the United States.  In that odd environment, I thrived.  I loved the simplicity, the minimalism, and the community feeling that is brought on by cultural connections and the hardships of a unique lifestyle.

Years have passed since I wrote that post and many things have changed.  We moved away from Alaska after spending a few years living and loving in Juneau.  We headed back to Michigan, the state of my birth and the home of many family members.  We moved here with every intention of settling down and trying to assimilate back into life as lower 48 residents.  The problem being that we didn't move to a place that screams "civilization."  Instead, we moved to a remote island that felt more like the Alaskan bush than Juneau ever did, which meant that the urge to live rural never went away.  It just intensified.

With that, I've spent the last two years wistfully thinking about the dream that I gave up.  It seems that I will always have that "what if" feeling when it comes to Alaska.  Because of that feeling, I've decided to take the leap.  I've accepted a job, which is both terrifying and exhilarating. The job will be taking me all the way to the Alaska Peninsula, near the Aleutian chain.  Cody and I will both be working for the Lake and Peninsula School District.  The village we will be living and working in is a tiny fishing village, only accessible by bush plane, with less than 100 residents.

I am excited and terrified to leave my little bubble on Beaver Island.  I love my students and my job here, but it all boils down to that "what if" feeling.  Could I live forever knowing that I'd never chased my dreams? The answer was a resounding "no."  So, here we are.  Packing up our lives, yet again, and heading north for another great adventure.

Your turn...What is one of your lifelong dreams? 
Currently listening to...Juno - Tokyo Police Club